A Cinderella story
by LAIsobel
Summary: In this fiction Angela tells a story about Brennan and she compares her to Cinderella. Wanna guess who the prince is? Warning for you all - NOT the USUAL VERSION of Cinderella! You might even cry... NOW REPOSTED! YUPEE!


**Originally posted 07-07-08, reposted 02-08-11. Again – I just tried to correct the grammar, nothing more. And yeah, the paragraphs again… I really liked to have them long… poor you… sorry for that. However, I kind of like this story as it is. And again – wow guys – see the resemblance to the show here? Even small but … it is there! Hehe cool :oD**

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**Spoilers** – no, I don't think so.

**Disclaimer** – nothing's mine, just the plot…

**Author's notes** – Hi :o) I've got something little for you all. It is not much, just one-stand and probably not a brilliant work, heh... _And – it can be considered as __**sad**__, just to warn you._ It is not originally written for Bones series, it used to be my own work to fit into one of my books but I decided to re-write it and post it and because my head is now occupied mostly by Bones – here we are… :o)

I hope you'll like it. And I promise that now I am about to continue with my other stories :o)

I am sorry about two things that can possibly spoil the story – mistakes (especially in grammar) and little bit of out of character writing. So now read, enjoy and please review if you wanna bright my day :o)

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She was walking down the stairs. She was beautiful, provoking but still she seemed to be so fragile. She was breaking down every single prejudice about women. Anyone could see her strength but also how tender she was.

Her haircut was short. That was a shock but she looked so pretty that it didn't matter. Her hair was fuzzy into every possible direction on the top of her head. She had blue stripes in them. It could be considered as extravagant and maybe unsuitable but with the combination of her eyes and dress it was simply perfect. Her eyes were sparkling, like pools of silvery water.

Her nails were decorated with small blue and white flowers. Her earrings were unusually very small and delicate; they were dark as the night sky in the summer. Maybe dark a little too much but fitting her tonight's outfit perfectly.

She was not walking close to me but I could see how every single detail looked nicely itself and in the same tame they were all forming harmonic effect. She looked shy and not entirely herself. And she probably didn't even realize that she was in the middle of everyone's attention. She surely was not interested in it.

At first she looked like she lost something and was trying to find it under her feet, she just couldn't tear her eyes from the floor. But then she straightened up, smiled and proudly walked into the crowd there in the hall.

I was standing away a little and I saw her. I was smiling suddenly. She won her inner battle about coming here to the ball or not. She didn't want to go, she couldn't make herself to go and still she was here now. Yeah, she promised me that she would come but till now I was not sure at all.

I know how hard it was for her to get dressed into that ball-dress. I could imagine how crazy she must felt because she was walking on heels. Yeah, she used to walk on them every day before she decided to travel around the world to almost every important digs to help there.

She was put through a lot during past balls. She could live without balls and parties very well. When someone mentioned things like dresses, heels, balls or dancing there was a shadow of something sad in her eyes. Something has happened to her and it was still displaying in those beautiful pools of her blue eyes, the sadness, pain, disappointment and something that she has never told anyone about. Not even me.

I was so glad that she has finally made the decision to come here tonight. And I was grateful to her pride because it was the pride that forced her to face her destiny. She actually has never believed in such thing as a destiny is, but I have.

And I was almost sure that she would come so I made a surprise for her. I hoped that I would be successful. I knew that she has never liked surprises at all but usually when the surprise for her was one of those very good ones she actually never complained about it. The good ones she could accept despite the fact how hard it could be for her.

I could understand her in this issue. I always have. To be surprised meant to be out of control and that she has always hated. She couldn't be sure about others and she couldn't be sure about herself. But all I could do about it was to sigh and shrug. This behavior had its origin in her bad memories and bad experiences.

The band started to play some very nice cheerful jazz. That was the time when there were no dance pairs on the parquet. Almost everyone was standing in the hall, chatting, sipping champagne and having fun. The true dancing fun was just about to come later. Bren, my best friend, took her way in direction to meet me. I handed her a glass of champagne. And she drank it off.

She looked frightened and excited in the very same moment. It was a battle for her but she was handling it with grace. By her own way. Like she always did. I didn't know even why but I started to admire her. She always was a person worthy of admire and respect. And she was worthy of those feelings even in aspects of life where almost everyone else have failed. But she? She has never failed. Her life was not a bad one but not a good one either. Well, it was more 'bad' than 'good'... It was hard as hell for her to survive everything she was put through.

At first she was fighting with everything and everyone, then she became distant and she lost everything. And this circle was repeating itself all over again and again and again. But once she decided to be strong and to fight for her future. Since that moment anything could happen to her but she never gave up. She never allowed to anything and anyone to beat her, to get her on her knees, to lose her pride.

She reached the bottom many times. And always she was miserable, broken and fighting for her own life. But she never failed. Every time it has happened she lost a little piece of her soul, she became a little more distant and walls around her were suddenly thicker. But she was alive. In her very own way.

I told her many times that to me she was like a tree, strong and healthy tree that could be bent down just by very forceful wind blast. But I told her also that after that event, after some wind blast struck her, she would always straighten up and became stronger and more beautiful than she has ever been before. And then she would just wait for another storm to pass over. But – she would never break down and die.

I could say I knew that lady. I knew her as a Doctor, distant, cold, way too professional, I knew her as friend, caring, loving, supporting, trusting, I knew her as a woman, fragile, independent, funny, smart and kind. I knew who she really was and why. She was my best friend although I haven't seen her much recently.

She won her own place in my heart a long time ago. And I knew almost everything about her life. I knew who she was, didn't I? Yeah, she never told me some things but that really didn't matter to me. She had her issues and one of them was the little problem about talking about feelings and thoughts. There were not many people on this planet that knew why she closed herself behind those walls she built up around her. But I knew why.

I knew how much she suffered, how much terrified she was, why she always tried to push everyone away. I knew that she once wanted to vanish. Maybe not just once… And I am pretty sure that she didn't want to be here at this ball, that she didn't want to be back in this city. Maybe she didn't want to even be alive, I was not sure. But she looked… good.

The ball was just another very sad memory for this Cinderella. I call her Cinderella because of the last ball where she was. At that time she was beautiful, excited, too young and maybe naïve in her own way. Her friendship with Seeley was slowly fading away because they were arguing a lot. Their fragile balance was broken. I am sure that something bad has happened and they just didn't find a way how to deal with it.

She was so sad and he was not working with us anymore. But they should meet at that ball. And at that time she decided to go there, to try to do something about their situation. She dressed up. She was dressed in dark red dress that I picked up for her. And matching shoes on high heels of course. She let me to drag her to beauty parlor so she had perfect French manicure and magnificent hair-style. We found fitting dark red lace underwear. She was the most beautiful woman there.

Maybe the way she looked like woke something up inside her. Something like flesh and determination. It could be caused by the adrenalin or by the glass of red wine but anyway anyone could see how alive she was. Anyone could see the energy that was running through her veins. She was desirable, she was sexy. And she was there on purpose.

It took her really long time before she realized how vulnerable she was because of that charming potentiality she had. It was a long time before that ball when she built up those walls around her to be protected. After losing everything and everyone she didn't want to risk anything. But then it simply happened.

Seeley came into her life and broke those walls. He touched her soul, mind and heart. He changed her life. And she fell in love. At first she was full of prejudices and then full of hopes. But they were friends. And something bad has happened.

So I think that it was the love she felt that made her come to the ball in that dark red dress. She wanted to capture his attention and talk to him. I knew that she was afraid and she didn't tell anyone. There were some rumors about Seeley and some nurse so it was completely understandable that she was afraid.

It would break her heart to see him with someone else. But I trusted him. I was so sure that he was the one and only for her. I didn't doubt him. I was sure that he would see her and walk to her and talk to her and dance with her and who knew what else… And my beautiful friend was like Cinderella. Everyone saw her and thought about how incredible stunning she looked. And it made her believe that she had a chance. I believed it too. She was beautiful. And she had her chance.

The evening was going well. Her prince noticed her and he couldn't tear his eyes of her. But it looked like the destiny had some other plans for those two. Her prince was there with his nurse, dancing and talking. And my Cinderella didn't dance with him, they had just few minutes to talk to each other but they didn't say a word. They were just staring into each other's eyes. Then he introduced her to his girlfriend. And Temp said 'hi' and then 'bye' and then she ran away.

I was sitting next to her on stairs on the street outside of the hall where the ball was, holding her around her shoulders while she was crying. He broke her heart. And she noticed something about his girlfriend that made her believe that the chance she had with her prince was lost forever. I could see it in her eyes.

That evening was the last one when she was dancing. She used to love it so much, but since that day… It has been seven years since that ball. And all I knew was that at that cold December night my Cinderella was in a fairytale that she didn't belong into. She lost her love, she lost the light in her eyes, and she lost her prince.

Seeley walked away with that nurse that evening and after some time he moved away from DC. I was not sure about his life with that woman, but the important thing was that he was not living in DC anymore. And Temp decided to start all over again. But she couldn't do it in DC.

And when she was with me, lying on the grass in my garden, watching stars and crying, she handed me a letter she received that morning. It was an offer for her. To travel around the world and help. She was supposed to stay at several places where new digs discovered something that she might like. And she decided to accept it. She was lost here in DC and I knew that. She was broken. And she left.

She was coming back to DC time by time but not often and not for long. But every time I saw her she looked better and better. But I knew that she wasn't seeing anyone. She tried to go on a date but it never worked. She was more distant and cold, but she was stronger as well. She changed a lot. I knew that and was sorry but there was nothing that could be done.

I was so surprised when she called me and told me 'Hey, Ange, it's me, Bren. I know about the anniversary ball in December. And I think that I'd like to go there. Hm?'. And it took me a lot of trying and working and persuasion to find out what happened with Seeley. I wanted him to come to this ball. I didn't find a single thing about him. I had just his phone number. So I called him.

Bren finally admitted that Seeley was the one and only for her and that she has loved him from the first moment he appeared in the Institute. And she was in love with him for all those years. She lost her hope, she lost the faith she had in him, she was just trying to survive and live a little. She tried to be the one that she always wanted to be.

She changed her opinion about sleeping with men just to fulfill her biological urges. She couldn't do that anymore. She was living with the knowledge that the man whom she loved was prince from another story, another fairytale. She couldn't find anybody else to love. Her heart didn't belong to her anymore. She gave it to him... She never regretted it.

And when some time passed her by she realized that there was just one man on this planet for her and that she lost him, or he lost her, who could tell… She had no other choice than to live without him. It was hard at first but she found her way how to deal with it.

Oh, this night could change a lot. I called her prince and told him about this ball and that she was about to come. He was so surprised when he heard my voice in the receiver. He didn't tell me anything about his life. He just promised me that he would come. And I knew that he would appear here tonight. He wouldn't disappoint me, would he? Please, no… I knew that there was something wrong; I knew that they never made the conversation about what the hell has happened between them. But maybe after all those years they could be able to discuss whatever they need to. Tonight.

I missed them both so much. I wanted them back in my life, both of them. But somewhere deep inside I knew that it would never happen.

She was standing by my side and she was nervous. But still she was the most beautiful creature there. The band started to play songs meant for dancing. They were playing slow songs and they were playing also quick ones, waltz, blues, jazz, some rock too. I didn't want to leave her there alone but my husband pulled me to the parquet. He told me that she needed to be there, that she needed to handle that alone.

And as usually, Jack was right. Bren was there, innocence displaying on her face, the angelic look of her eyes, she was beautiful and she was elegant, she was reconciled with everything, she was not expecting anything. She looked so confident. But still it was like she didn't belong there, hell it looked like she didn't belong to this place at all.

She was not entirely herself. I felt so sorry for her. But at the very same moment my respect and admiration for her rose up. I would never be able to come here, to listen to everyone, to hear the music, to wait there by the side of the hall alone, to watch people dance and have fun, to wait and be unsure.

She didn't see him coming towards her. But I did. He came.

He stopped by her side and handed her a small bouquet of forget-me-nots. I told him that she would come dressed in blue and he acted along with that fact. She noticed that the bouquet was supposed to be tied around her wrist so she didn't protest when he reached for her hand and tied the ribbon around her wrist. She closed her eyes and several tears made their way down her cheeks. I didn't know why, maybe she couldn't believe that he was there, maybe she was enjoying the moment when she felt his touch. I turned my head away; this was no longer a story for me to watch.

Around the hall were mirrors on the walls so I saw them many times during the evening and during the whole night. I knew that she was not able to say a single thing. But he had the same problem. He wiped away her tears by his thumbs. Then he took a step closer and kissed her on her forehead. He offered her his hand; he wanted her to dance with him. And she did so.

They were both shivering and I doubt that it was because of the temperature in the hall. I noticed that he pulled her close into his embrace. She put her head on his shoulder and they were dancing. When I saw them next time their foreheads were touching and they were whispering something that I could not catch. They both looked content and surprised and most of all they were unsure. But they looked perfect together.

The ball was about to end when I saw her by the window with a glass of red wine in her hand. She was crying silently. I was pretty sure that those tears were full of sorrow and pain. Every feeling that was left in her was now making its way out. She released her feelings so she was crying. It was the only way how to deal with them. She looked into my eyes and it broke my heart.

But after a silent moment passed us by she thanked me. She told me that I was the one who gave her the chance to be completely happy for one whole evening. To be his. She told me that she was in his arms at last and for the whole night. It meant so much for her. She told me that she felt like an angel, or maybe like a Cinderella. Oh, she knew that I used to call her that because of the last ball. I was so afraid that she would tell me something not good. And she whispered that to me.

"I know that you think about this whole thing as about some fairytale. So I'll use your comparisons. I know you thought that maybe it could have the happy end for me and for him. As you like to say that I am the Cinderella and he is my prince. But in this story, in my fairytale there was the happy end for someone else. The wedding bells were ringing when the prince was getting married. It was five years ago. But you know that the fact that this fairytale has its happy end for somebody else doesn't mean that I won't be happy anyway."

She was crying and smiling. She was shivering. Her shoulders were shaking. She was trying so desperately to be strong. My heart was broken when I saw her there. Yeah, she tried to reassure me that she would be all right but I couldn't believe it.

She didn't look like running away so I left her in attempt to find my husband. And I succeeded. I asked him what he knew and he told me. He spoke to Seeley. Booth got married five years ago because his former girlfriend was pregnant with his child and he decided to do the right thing.

He wanted to be with Temp but he couldn't find her. So he took it as a clue to leave her alone. And when Monique told him that she was pregnant with his child he asked her to marry him. She said yes despite the fact that they weren't seeing each other for some time.

Jack told me this and several more things and I felt miserable. It was no longer important to know how it all has started. It was not important to deal with the event that was on the beginning. Everything that was between them was lost. And there was not a chance how to start again.

I needed to talk to Bren.

I saw her standing beside the table by the window where I left her. Suddenly she smiled a little and bent down. She took off her shoes. She took them into her hand and she didn't mind that she was there just in her pantyhose, shoe-less**.** She was still the most beautiful woman of the evening but now she looked more like herself. She suddenly was smiling a little bit more. In ball-dress but not on heels she felt somehow free. I reached her there and saw her while she took another glass of wine into her other hand.

"You know, Ange, in my life there are lots of happy endings. But none of them is mine. But it's not important. I got used to that. People whom I love are happy. And that's what important to me. I can live with that. I know how."

She told me in low voice full of sadness. But there was also something else. Something happy or maybe … was it hope? I didn't know. But she didn't seem to be broken. I was. She proudly lifted her head and smiled once more. She had tears on her cheeks. I didn't know what to do. She kissed me on my cheek and nodded her head. I was confused and scared. But she was talking about her feelings... Oh... I started to cry suddenly. I was sad.

With shoes in one hand and a glass of wine in the other one she turned away and walked towards the stairs. She reached the door out and she was hesitating suddenly. Last bit of hope was awoken in my heart with her hesitation. Maybe she would turn around and come back… But then she opened the door and walked away.

I felt little guilty because I had my happy ending. My husband found me standing on the same spot she left me. He hugged me. I heard the 'click' of door being closed. Everything hit me in the very same moment the door was closed. She left. And she wouldn't be coming back. I started to cry more vehemently. To me this really was like some kind of a Cinderella story. But like everything in Bren's life it didn't have a usual end as every other fairytale.

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_Yeah, I know, no 'living happily ever after' but still I do hope that you liked the story. I warned you that it was not the usual version of Cinderella, it was just a comparison and not a good one... I am sorry... But you know what? There's the little blue button down there... so use it if you feel like telling me what you think and what you have on your mind... Love you all, Isobel_

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A/N from 2011 (reposting notes… hehe…. )_ I had blue stripes in my hair – it was my prom night :o) Pictures are kinda cool :o)) Check it out if you want(I had to break the address… you know how this web works… so just copy it and erase all the gaps – **h t t p : / / m a l ca t a . cz / Ad ela _ b all / Ade las _ ball _ 1 . JPG** It's hard to believe that it happened 3 years ago! Oh and the woman next to me is my mom… :o)


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